Bowling alley bumper systems are designed to be used by children and/or the physically handicapped as well as others who lack the physical coordination or strength to bowl i.e., project a majority of balls over the length of the alley without the ball falling into one of the gutters. Early systems required relatively difficult steps to set up a lane or lanes for so-called bumper bowling. For this reason, a number of bowling alley operating personnel were reluctant to promote bumper bowling or to encourage children or the handicapped to use the lanes.
One approach to overcome the aforementioned problem is disclosed by Chandler et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,024. In such systems, an elongated bumper is mounted alongside and parallel to each alley gutter. The system also includes movable supports that permit the extension of the bumpers to guard the gutters when guarding is desired and retraction of the bumpers to expose the gutters when normal alley operation is desired. The Chandler et al. system extends upwardly above the level of the alley even in its recessed position. This presents an obstacle to walking between lanes and is considered unsightly by many ordinary bowlers.
More recent approaches to bumper bowling such as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,716 of Stephens have contributed to the growing popularly of bumper bowling. As disclosed therein, a bowling alley bumper system includes a pair of gutters having longitudinally extending portions and an extending and retracting mechanism for moving those portions into an extended or retracted position. In the retracted position, bowling balls are free to fall into the gutter and the alley has the appearance of an ordinary alley. In one embodiment of that invention, the bumper portion of the gutter is moved up and down along an arc in an xz plane with little or no lateral movement. However, in such systems it is necessary for an individual to manually extend and or retract the bumpers using a special tool which is inserted into the bumper from the approach section of the alley.
In view of the growing popularity of bumper bowling, there is a demand for improved bowling alley bumper systems wherein the bumpers can be extended or retracted from a remote area. For example, a semiautomatic bumper bowling system allows a front desk operator in a bowling center to raise or lower the bumpers without leaving his/her desk. This eliminates the need for an individual to select a special tool, walk to a selected lane to raise the bumpers at the beginning of the game and then return to lower the bumpers when the game is over. In such systems it is also desirable to include a damping mechanism to reduce the mechanical shock and or noise when the bumpers are returned to their retracted position.
It is also believed that there may be a significant commercial demand for a fully automated system which is controlled by an automatic scoring system. Such systems would allow mixed bowling i.e., a bowling game wherein one or more bowlers elect to bowl with the bumpers extended while others elect to bowl with the bumpers in their retracted position. For example, in a bowling alley bumper system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a bowler enters their name at the beginning of the game and are given an option of bowling with/without bumpers. Then, assuming that bowler number 2 chooses to have the bumpers activated, the scoring system would automatically activate the bumpers up into their extended position when it is bowler number 2's turn to bowl. Then when bowler number 2 finishes their turn, and moves over to the next lane, the system will automatically lower the rails on the previously bowled lane and activate the bumpers on the next lane. This will then be repeated until the game is complete.